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The facade is made of two vertical layers. The inside layer is either printed glass, reinforced security glass, or copper or bronze-colored mirrored glass. About 20 inches (50 centimeters) out from this glass layer hangs a curtain of various kinds of woven metal mesh.

The different combinations of mesh pattern and glass material create the varying effects, distinguishing one "trunk" from its neighbor in the overall facade composition. The layering and mix of the materials make the front elevation mysterious and appealing.

The structural system for these volumes, seemingly stacked at random, is a 100-foot (30-meter) tall, three-dimensional frame containing six faced boxes that are shaped by a composition of floor and wall plates.

Where columns are not continuous between horizontal levels, post and beam frames combine to form a Vierendeel truss. Lateral strength is provided by an earthquake-resistant eccentric brace of the approximately central elevator core. Torsion is resisted by diagonal braces.

Fashion Inside and Out

Inside, the shopper wanders through a "Louis Vuitton wonderland,"
With levels of transparency and translucency between floors as well as through the layered facade to the boulevard. The sales area interiors were designed by LV's in-house designers.

If the retailer's experience with earlier Aoki designs in Ginza and Nagoya repeat here in Tokyo, the new store is expected to become its own most effective advertisement. Louis Vuitton's sales in Japan account for about one-third of sales worldwide. Leather and fashion remain profitable despite the country's economic problems.

The popular Omotesando Boulevard, lined with zelkova trees, looks more and more like a showcase of modern avant-garde architecture. The tour of built fashion begins at the Olympic stadium (1964) designed by Kenzo Tange, and passes the 1930s Dojunkai apartments to be redeveloped by Tadao Ando, and the new Dior store designed by Kazuyo Sejima, to be completed in summer 2003.

Up the hill and across Aoyama street are Issey Miyake's Apoc store by Yoshioka Tokujin, Comme des Garcons by Future Systems, Prada by Herzog & de Meuron, and the Collezione complex by Ando.

With the new Louis Vuitton store, the upbeat boulevard of Omotesando has gained another hotspot for architectural fashion.   >>>

Mahoko Hoffmann is a German-born and educated architectural intern who works through a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service in Japan. She has worked in the office of Shigeru Ban Architects and has written for ARCH+ and Design News.

Tokyo's new store for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton, designed by architect Jun Aoki. Photo: Mahoko Hoffmann The building resembles a pile of trunks in honor of Vuitton's origin as a trunk manufacturer. Photo: Mahoko Hoffmann Wire mesh of various weaves accounts for the facade's texture. Photo: Mahoko Hoffmann Concept sketch of the store's facade. Image: Jun Aoki and Associates Design model of the facade. Photo: Jun Aoki and Associates The woven metal mesh hangs about 20 inches (50 centimeters) out from the glass wall . Photo: Jun Aoki and Associates   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.